The woman of Revelation 12

Of course the 1260 days could be literal and be descriptive of the time(3 and one-half years) that the Jewish War lasted. This is also in history recorded by an eyewitness, Josephus. It also fits the context of Rev 1:1,3. "Shortly" and "at hand".

Also it seems the Dark Ages lasted longer than 1260 years. Did Martin Luther not live in the Dark Ages? What significant event happened after the 1260 years that ended this persecution? That would be around the year 1300AD.

 

So, Bob, that is YOUR interpretation, correct? Why do you believe YOUR interpretation is the correct one?

In Christ,
Neal

 

In my past dealings with Bob, you can expect little in reguard to responses from questions posed. He knows what he believes but not why.

 

Mee, i agree with you. Israel Is the "woman".
Joseph saw her in a vision in Gen.37:9-10. The "man child" Is Jesus!!!!!! Who else would satan want to destroy?? Jesus...

 

Thanks panzal! It is rather plain, isn't it?

MEE

 

Mee, it can't get any plainer.

 

Rev 12:1-6 1 And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars:
2 And she being with child cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered.
3 And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads.
4 And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born.
5 And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne.
6 And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days.


Rev 12:13-17 13 And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted the woman which brought forth the man child.
14 And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent.
15 And the serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away of the flood.
16 And the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed up the flood which the dragon cast out of his mouth.
17 And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.

If the woman of Rev. 12 is Mary, then how does one explain all of the things said about her in this chapter? What was the wilderness that she fled to? What was the period of 1260 days, and the time, times, and a half of a time, that she was nourished in the wilderness? What was the flood of water that was cast out of the serpents mouth after her? How did the earth help Mary? These things alone, make it obvious, that Rev. 12 is not talking about Mary.

Verse 17 says that the remnant of her seed keep the commandments of God. This can not be referring to the Catholic Church, for they do not keep the commandments of God. They have changed the fourth, and break the second routinely.

A woman in prophecy is a church. A pure woman, is God's church, and a whore, or harlot is an apostate church. God chose the nation of Israel to maintain a knowledge of Him in this world, until His own Son would come into the world to reveal the Father. The father of the nation of Israel, was Abraham. It was through his seed, that the entire world would be blessed. It was this old covenant church, or nation of God that brought forth the man child spoken of in Rev. 12. At which time, the new covenant nation, or church of God began to be established. This woman, that is the new covenant church of God, is what the prophecies of Rev. 12 are referring to, not Mary.

Gen 22:17-18 17 That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies;
18 And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice.

Gen 26:4-5 I will make thy seed to multiply as the stars of heaven, and will give unto thy seed all these countries; and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed;
5 Because that Abraham obeyed my voice, and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws.

Heb 2:16-18 16 For verily he took not on him the nature of angels; but he took on him the seed of Abraham.
17 Wherefore in all things it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people.
18 For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to succour them that are tempted.

The prophecies of Rev. 12 are referring to the conflict between the new covenant church, and the devils attempts to destroy the man child, Christ, and His followers after Him. If the woman of Rev. 12:1 is Mary, then what sense can anyone make of the rest of the things said about this woman in the remainder of the Chapter? On the other hand, if the woman of Rev. 12:1 is the church, which it is, then one can make sense of the rest of the prophecy concerning this woman in chap. 12.

Uriah Smith says the following about the woman of Rev. 12. A woman,” the true church. A corrupt woman is used to represent an apostate of corrupt church. Eze. 23:2-4; Revelation 17:3-6,15,18. By parity of reasoning, a pure woman, as in this instance, would represent the true church. “The sun,” the light and glory of the gospel dispensation. “The moon,” the Mosaic dispensation. As the moon shines with a borrowed light derived from the sun, so the former dispensation shone with a light borrowed from the present. There they had the type and shadow; here we have the antitype and substance. “A crown of twelve stars,” the twelve apostles.

No symbols more fitting and impressive could be found than are here employed. The Mosaic dispensation shone with a light borrowed from the Christian dispensation, just as the moon shines with light borrowed from the sun. How appropriate, therefore, to represent the former by the moon, and the latter by the sun. The woman, the church, had the moon under her feet; that is, the mosaic dispensation had just ended, and the woman was clothed with the light of the gospel sun, which had just risen. By the figure of the prolepsis, the church is represented as fully organized, with its twelve apostles, before the man-child, Christ, appeared upon the scene. This is easily accounted for by the fact that it was to be thus constituted immediately after Christ should commence his ministry; and he is more especially connected with this church than with that of the former dispensation. ( Daniel and the Revelation by Uriah Smith, Chap.12 pages 440 &441 )

Bye for now. Y. b. in C. Keith

 

Complex picture of Mary, the church and Israel; representing the entire people of God.
Have to be honest here...what chapter 12 of Revelation are some of you reading? Seems as though the scourge of dispensationalism has struck yet again!

 

Praise God!...\o/...for the wonderful clarity and truth that dispensational teaching provides.

Course, I'm speaking generally here. Dispensational teaching in general. If some dispensationalists teach that this passage has something to do with Mary, I disagree. I dont believe this passage has any connection to Mary at all.

God bless,

Mike

 

Very true.

It is ONE church ONE people of God in all ages.

Thats what we see in Rev 12 and that is what we see in Romans 11 ONE vine ALL branches merge into the one structure. The saints, the people of God in all ages.

In Christ,

Bob

 

Those quotes from Uriah were interesting, I had never heard them before. But it makes sense that the Woman clothed the Sun is the Church and Jesus Christ. ANd the crown, the 12 apostles He chose back then, and the dragon waiting to devour, well, that's satan and yes, he and his minions did devour it all, as all of them, Jesus and the apostles, were martyred in the end. But the word of God was preserved through the Jewish apostles who wrote it, and so was the word preserved as it was taken into the wilderness. We have the Bible today because of that preservation of God.

 

Rev. 12:1 And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars:

Explanation:

There appeared a women(the churches of today) clothed with the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost.(Sun, Moon and Stars.)See Gen 37, verses 9 & 10. The sun moon and stars were the father, mother, and brothers (a family). In Rev. 12-1 the sun is the father, the moon is the mother, & the stars are the Holy Ghost in the Saints!

The churches of today are "clothed" with God, and are standing on the Word(moon-Jesus)and use the saints as their crown, (saying "look, we are all born again").

This is the explanation that I believe God gave me on verse 1. I will try to post one verse a day until I complete the chapter.

Working for Jesus.

Tam,

 

Rev 12-2 And she being with child cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered.

Explanation:

and the woman(the church)was full of true believers struggling to get out.

Tam

 

Rev 12-3 And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads.

Explanation:

The devil appears. (At this time he still has access to the throne room).See Rev. 13-1 and Rev. 17-3.

Peace,

Tam

 

Rev12-4 And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born.

Explanation:

and satan begins to persecute all true believers that are not in a church and gets ready to devour the true believers as they come out of the church.(If he can keep you in a church, then he has a better chanch to deceive you).

Peace,

Tam

 

Rev.12-5 And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne.

Explanation:

When the believers(Jesus in them)do come outof the church though, they are caught up to zion,and he cannot harm them.(Jesus draws them into His protection). See Rev.2, verses 26 & 27 to see who is ruling with a rod of iron. It is not Jesus, as so many suppose.

Working for Jesus,

Tam

 

"And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified". Rev. 11:8

John continues to describe the Dragon. John describes a whore on a purple and scarlett beast. The beast is the dragon.

7 heads = 7 hills Jerusalem was built on 7 hills

Revelation 12 can be linked with Daniel 12.

Bob

 

Rev 12-6 And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days.

Explanation:

Then the woman(the church)having no true believers left in her flees into a spiritual wilderness, still clinging to her false doctrine, because God prepared it that way. And He feeds the people(the church woman) for 3 1/2 years and tries to get them to see the truth,because He loves them and doesn't want any to perish.

Peace,

Tam

 

If there are no believers there is no church.

The woman is Old Covenant Israel. She fled to the wilderness(pella) during the 3 and one half year seige on Jerusalem by the Romans. They followed the words of Jesus in Luke 21:20-22.

 

Rev 12-7 And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels,

Explanation:

Then there is the war in heaven. Michael and his angels fight the devil(red dragon in verse 3)and his angels.

Up until this point in time, the devil has been able to go before the throne and accuse us.

Peace,

Tam